Fertility Preservation

Oocyte cryopreservation, or egg freezing, is a relatively new procedure in the field of assisted reproductive technologies (ART). The goal of this technology is to increases a woman’s potential to have children later in life, whether she is preparing to undergo potentially sterilizing medical treatments or is delaying childbearing until a later stage in life.

Egg Freezing

Egg freezing allows a woman to potentially preserve her fertility until she is ready to start her family or if she is soon to undergo treatment that may diminish her future fertility. During an egg-freezing cycle, a patient will go through many of the same steps that are involved in a typical IVF cycle: ovulation stimulation, ultrasound monitoring, and egg retrieval. After egg retrieval, the eggs will be cultured for a few hours and then frozen the same day for future use.

Embryo Freezing

Embryo freezing is a technique that is recommended for fertility preservation when there is a male partner or the patient is willing to use donor sperm. At this stage in technology, embryos generally have a greater thaw survival rate than eggs, and thus have a greater chance of resulting in a pregnancy in the future. Patients undergo a typically IVF cycle, our embryologist grows embryos to the blastocyst stage (until Day 5 or 6 after fertilization), and then those of the highest quality are frozen. These embryos remain frozen until the patient is ready to use them.

Fertility Preservation for Cancer Patients

Patients (female or male) undergoing cancer therapies may desire to preserve sperm, eggs or embryos prior to chemotherapy, or other cancer treatments. We will work with your Oncologists to develop a fertility preservation plan to ensure that your future family building goals may be achieved and to minimize delays in cancer treatment. FSMG offers reduced fees for both female and male fertility preservation when facing potential loss of fertility due to cancer treatments. We also have relationships with pharmaceutical companies to help minimize medication costs associated with fertility preservation treatments.